IT security pros not password protecting their mobiles

Around a third of IT security professionals aren't using passwords on their mobiles, according to research.

Security firm Credant surveyed IT professionals at April's Infosecurity conference and found that 35 per cent of them didn't use a password on their mobile devices.

This isn't a figure far away from a survey of the whole population, which said that 40 per cent of all users don't use mobile phone passwords.

"It is alarming to note that the very people who are responsible for IT security are not much better at protecting the information on their business phones than most of their co-workers, who don't necessarily know any better," said Credant co-founder Andrew Kahl in a statement.

Kahl also warned that if a non-password protected device went missing containing corporate data such as business emails, that the company was in breach of the data protection act.

He also added that damage could be done to an individual or company as a loss exposed them to personal or corporate identity theft.

Kahl said: "It is therefore imperative that all mobile phone users who hold sensitive data, either personal or corporate, should always password protect it at a minimum and encrypt it if the data is really sensitive."